


Young Love

by your_chaotic_little_sibling



Category: John Wick (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Assassin x Mob Boss, Assassins & Hitmen, Bodyguard Romance, Child Abandonment, D'Antonio Drama, Everyone Needs A Hug, F/M, Family Drama, Forbidden Love, Friends to Lovers, I'll try my best, I'm Bad At Tagging, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Italian Mafia, John Wick is a Dad, John Wick's Dog, Life Ain't Fair, Parent-Child Relationship, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Romance, Screw Destiny, Secret Relationship, Set in 2019 or 2020 ish, Slow To Update, The High Table sucks ass, change my mind, kind of?, young Santino D'Antonio
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:20:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26518885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/your_chaotic_little_sibling/pseuds/your_chaotic_little_sibling
Summary: Zed is a young assassin who just recently found out about the Underground, and she's studying in Italy because of the potential her boss sees in her.Santino is the Camorra prince who's paying his way through college and has a lot of pent up rage.Love has no limits and no care for destiny, so why should they?This is my first actually serious romance fanfic in this fandom and I'm going to try to update every Saturday! I love comments, btw, no matter what they contain! Enjoy!
Relationships: Helen Wick/John Wick, John Wick & John Wick's Unnamed Dog, Santino D'Antonio/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

“Go to Italy, they said. It’ll be _ so fucking fun, _ they said,” Zed muttered as she walked into her university. She had only been attending there for about a week and she was already not a huge fan. Everything was very different than she expected, and in the month that she was in Italy, the only thing she had done was unpack her boxes, go to class, and do homework. She hadn’t even gotten to make any friends. Not like she minded -Zed wasn’t very social- but  _ some  _ human contact would be nice.

As she walked into her Physics class, she realized that they had started without her. It wasn’t a surprise, she arrived about 3 minutes after class started because she had left her notebook at home and wasn’t about to go to Physics without a notebook. Zed was smart, but she wasn’t that smart. Deciding she didn’t want to make a scene and go sit near the front, she slid into the closest available seat and looked to the man beside her.

“ _ Did I miss anything? _ ” she asked in Italian, her accent barely giving off that she was American.

“No,” he replied in English. She nodded and sighed, rubbing her face softly, deciding not to question his language switch. “You are new here.”

Zed chuckled softly. “That obvious, huh?” she asked. “I’m Zed.”

The young man shrugged, leaning back in his chair and returning his gaze to the professor. “I’m Santino. And yes, it is that obvious. You’re still stressed about being late. No one gives a shit here.”

She shrugged as well, placing her bookbag at her feet as she opened her notebook, which was full of Physics equations and little drawings in the margins. It was obvious someone got bored in class easily. “I don’t like being late,” she answered. When she gave him a second look, she had to admit that he was quite handsome. He had dark curls that fell beside his face and tan skin that was complimented by his obviously expensive clothing choice. “You don’t take notes?” she asked, deciding that if there was any opportunity to make a friend here, she was going to take it. Zed would always love her friends in America, but it’s hard to stay in touch when they’re all the way across the Atlantic.

“I don’t need to pass this class. I’m not going to be an assassin. I am a mafia boss, physics is useless to me,” he replied.

Zed narrowed her eyes. “If you’re going to be a leader, you’re going to have to understand the minds of assassins. That means you have to think like one, and how can you think like one when you don’t understand the basic math behind them?” she asked, grabbing some gum out of her bag and offering him a piece. When he accepted and took one, she put the pack back in her bag with a small smile on her face.  _ Nice. _

“I never liked math,” Santino admitted. “It felt stupid, and difficult.”

Zed tore a piece of paper out of her notebook and handed the young Camorra boss a pen. “Well, then you better start taking notes. Besides, Santino, this is a science class, not a math class.”

“Oh, thanks, so much better,” he replied sarcastically, but he leaned forward and started to pay attention to what the teacher was saying. Usually, Santino sat in the back of the class because he didn’t give a shit about anything they were teaching. He had enough money to get him through the classes that he didn’t find interesting, and the ones he did like he passed without a problem. Santino wasn’t stupid in the slightest, he just didn’t feel the point of applying himself when he could easily pay his way out of college. Something about this American girl really clicked with him, though, and he decided to humor her and actually take notes.

_ It’s because she’s pretty. I wouldn’t mind pleasing her in other ways, _ he thought to himself as he glanced over again. Her medium length, curly, brown hair was spilling over her shoulders, and the white Pink Floyd shirt she was wearing really complimented her tan skin tone. She obviously spent a lot of time in the sun. She didn’t exactly give him the vibe of a girl who went to the tanning booth because she was so pale she appeared blue in the sun. Honestly, Zed gave off the vibe of a smart farm girl who somehow got herself tangled up in the High Table and all of its rules.

The class went by quietly after that, Zed too focused on taking notes and adding to her little art collection to notice that Santino was practically asleep beside her. She was always interested in the sciences. If her father hadn’t sold her to a mafia boss when she was 18, she would have probably gone on to be a forensics scientist or something like that. However, that’s not what happened, so she took every opportunity she could to get some sort of scientific education. She wasn’t paying for her classes, so why should she bother with only taking the ones that were important?

Finally, they were dismissed as the professor finished up his lecture, giving out homework that Zed immediately wrote down and planned to do later that night. She looked over to Santino and chuckled. “You wanna go get some coffee?” she offered, standing up and putting her books and pencils in her bag. He sat up off his hand and sighed, straightening out his shirt slightly as he stood up as well, cramming the paper with half assed notes on it into his pocket.

“If you think this is a good idea for a date-”

She laughed suddenly, shaking her head. “Santino, your confidence is way too high. I don’t want to date you, you’re just the only person I’ve talked to in Italy since I got here. Might as well take the chance and try to make friends,” she said, smiling at him and throwing on her jean jacket. “No offense, but get your ass up. We’re getting coffee.”

“What if I don’t want to get coffee with you?” he asked, standing up and making his way out of the classroom.

Zed shrugged, following after him. “Then I guess I’ll just have to take you to get food instead. Besides, I  _ am _ new. You’re going to let some poor, clueless American girl walk around Italy all by her lonesome? What if something bad happens to me?” she asked teasingly, even though she knew she could take care of herself. After all, she had been training for this academy since she was 18 and she learned that her father wasn’t all he said he was. A father that loves his daughter doesn’t sell her to an Italian mafia boss because he wants to save his own ass.

“Fine,” Santino replied, sighing softly to himself once he was convinced. He knew it wouldn’t take much. The young Camorra always had a soft spot for clever girls like Zed. They were much more interesting than the women his father usually tried to pair him with or the girls that his sister hung around. Zed was smart and witty, and she wasn’t at all afraid to tell him how she felt. Hell, Santino didn’t know many people who could look him in the eye and tell him that his ego was too big. He should’ve been angry with her for such a comment, but he really only felt a surge of amusement. Friends were hard to come by in a business like this, but Zed was looking promising. “But I’m choosing. You’re new, you don’t know anything about Naples.”

“Good thing I have someone like you to show me around then,” she said, smiling slightly as he led her down the sidewalk to what she presumed was a cafe. They walked in silence for a moment as Zed memorized her way around town, glancing at nearby street signs as they passed them. Santino wasn't gonna be with her all the time, and Zed really needed to find a shop to get her food from. "So, Santino, is my Italian really so bad that you could tell I was American immediately?"

The young man snorted, coming to a stop on the sidewalk as they waited for traffic to thin out. "Of course not. All of your clothes are American brands that aren’t sold here. If you want to blend in, go buy some new clothes,” he explained, looking over at her. Zed shrugged slightly, looking down at her Pink Floyd shirt that perfectly matched her jean jacket. The jacket had no meaning to her, just something that she stole when she was still in high school, but the shirt was a different story. It was given to her by her brother before she was sold off; basically a parting gift between the two of them. 

“I think I’ll stick with this. Sentimental value,” she explained as they started to cross the street. “You’ve always lived in Naples?”

“Most of my life. I travel a lot, of course. I am the prince of the Camorra, after all,” Santino stated proudly, smirking to himself. He had always prided himself in his title. Well, he prided himself in anything he could, honestly, but especially his family name. If you can’t run from it, own up to it.

Zed thought for a moment, biting her lip as she tried to remember who the Camorra were. Her knowledge on mafia families wasn’t exactly as sharp as it should be, especially for a young assassin living alone in Italy. “D’Antonio, right? That’s the family name? I can’t believe I had to scour my memory for the names of every mafia family I know to figure out your last name, Santino,” she scoffed, elbowing him playfully. It didn’t seem to bother her that he was in one of the biggest crime families in the world.

“Alright, my turn,  _ Zed, _ ” he said, testing the name out for the first time. He was surprised that he hadn’t used it yet. It was definitely unique, and it matched her personality perfectly. “Why study in Italy? There’s plenty of good American academies that could surpass this one.”

She nodded slightly, putting her hands in her pockets and shrugging. “My boss saw potential in me and wanted me to study under one of the best assassins he knew. John Wick works for the Camorra, doesn’t he? I’m studying under him starting next week,” she explained. Santino immediately looked over to her when he heard the familiar name, shocked. Since when has the infamous Baba Yaga taken students under his wing? “I’m surprised the guy even agreed to it. I’m not exactly from a prominent family and I don’t have any street cred. Must’ve been his connection to my boss in the states.”

Santino nodded. “It must be. Last time I checked, John Wick was one to surround himself with others. He’s usually quite reclusive,” he admitted.

“I guess something about me just stuck out,” Zed joked, giving him a slight smirk before they came to a stop outside a café. With a quick glance to it, she chuckled. “Wow. My first job was right beside a place like this. I worked at my dad’s gun shop when I was 15… Feels like forever ago.”

Santino shrugged, opening the door and glancing back at her. There was something dark in her eyes, like the mention of her dad brought back bad memories.  _ Are there really any happy families? _ He asked himself, thinking about his own father and how often he sat alone in his room, tears of anger and resentment threatening to fall because of the favoritism so apparent in his household. Zed seemed so normal that it hadn’t occurred to him that she would come with her own emotional baggage.

Those thoughts were washed away with the familiar smell of coffee as the youngest D’Antonio stepped into the café. He had a lot of good memories in this place. When he was still in high school, his friends and he would sneak out of class to come here, hiding away from the responsibilities that should have never been placed on them when they were so young. As he graduated into college, he would go there on days where there wasn’t much on his to-do list, just sitting by a window and watching the people go by like there weren’t assassins around every corner. This little café was his safe haven; somewhere where he didn’t have to worry about what his family thought of him or what his next step was or whether he would die. It was the only place he could feel normal.

“What’re you getting?” Zed asked, glancing over to him with her big brown eyes. She seemed so innocent, practically normal.

Santino shrugged. “What I usually get,” he smirked, getting up to the front and immediately getting recognized. He greeted the woman behind the counter and ordered his usual before Zed ordered what she wanted in almost perfect Italian. It was impressive; most American’s had a tough time hiding their accents, but she seemed to be able to completely switch cultures with the blink of an eye.  _ John will be pleased, _ Santino thought, remembering as much as he could about the older man. “Come on,” he hummed, making his way over to his favorite spot in the café once they got their coffee. “It’s warmer over here.”

“I didn’t think it was that cold,” Zed admitted, shrugging slightly, but he just grabbed her in the crook of her elbow and tugged her along. She chuckled softly. “Jeez, Santino, I was fucking coming.”

He turned around and smirked. “Now it’s starting to sound like a date,” he purred, causing her to roll her eyes. Santino couldn’t remember the last time he was this relaxed around a stranger.  _ She’s not a stranger if I know her name, is she? _ He asked himself before hearing her starting to speak.

“Got any classes for the rest of the day?” she asked, fiddling with a beaded bracelet that he didn’t even notice she was wearing.

He shook his head, sipping his coffee. “Not today. You?”

“Yeah, one more around 2. I need to hit the library after this to get all my studying sorted out before I start my apprenticeship under Mr. Wick next week. I don’t think he’ll be going easy on me,” she joked, smiling at Santino with a sparkle in her eyes that he hadn’t seen in a while. Were there really still assassins who had that innocence?

He smiled back, deciding just to focus on the conversation at hand. “I don’t think so, Zed, but you are a specimen. Maybe you can change him.”


	2. Chapter 2

Gianna knew something was up with her brother the moment he returned to the family villa. Something was different about his walk, his tone. It was subtle, probably unnoticeable to those who didn't know him, but she could tell practically right away. Call it whatever you may, but she just  _ knew _ that something had happened while her brother was in the city. Santino rarely had a look other than pure sarcasm.

“What happened?” she asked, leaning on the counter and crossing her arms as her brother got himself an apple.

Santino glanced back at her. “What do you mean?” he replied, seemingly oblivious to his mood change.  _ God, if something happened he could at least make it seem less obvious,  _ she thought, rolling her eyes slightly. Despite how good it was to see him appearing to enjoy his education for once, she was sure there was more to the story. “ _ What? _ I didn’t do anything.”

“You’re much too delightful for the Santino I know, who hates university with every fiber of his being. Come on, what happened?” she asked. It didn’t matter how much they fought, they were still siblings, and she would pester him until he told her what was going on. That was her job as an older sister.

“I am not allowed to be delightful?” he smirked, knowing exactly what she wanted but refusing to give it to her. His older sister already knew enough about him, and he seriously doubted she would approve of the friendship. She always preached to him about how he needed to choose his friends carefully. How he needed to always try to improve his position. How these little moments won’t matter when he’s 40 years old and ruling the Camorra.

“Not without good reason,” she retorted, with the sass that she barely allowed to show in front of the public. Hell, her jokes were getting to be a rarity even when she was around Santino.

He rolled his eyes, shaking his head. “My life is none of your business, Gianna. In fact, the only thing that should concern you is whether I’m doing good in school, which I am, by the way. In fact, on that matter, I should go start my homework.” Honestly, the prince would rather do his Physics homework that he didn’t understand instead of talk to his sister. That's saying something.

As he walked to his room, he remembered what Zed told him as she got ready to leave so she could finish setting up her apartment.

_ “You were passed out in class today, Santino. Call me if you have trouble with the homework tonight. I’m no genius, but I’m good at math.” _ She had said with a grin, placing a ripped-off piece of notebook paper on the table like a fucking high schooler. It made him chuckle at the normalcy of the action, but he just nodded to her as she walked towards the door, strutting out like she had no care in the world.

Santino shut his door with his foot, not caring if it appeared to be a slam or not, and tossed his bag on his bed as he sat down in his desk chair. He pulled out the number and placed it on the expensive wood, contemplating on whether he should call Zed or not. After leaving the cafe, he had taken care of some private business for the rest of the afternoon before finally making his way back home, but he was sure she was having a much busier day than he. She  _ had  _ just moved in from another country and was planning on studying under one of the most infamous assassins in the whole Underground. Despite her calm demeanor, he was sure that she was stressing much more than she wanted to admit.

“Since when have I cared?” he muttered, standing up to get changed. It was expected of him to go out in public wearing his best, but that didn’t mean he liked it. In fact, he usually just wore athletic pants and a t-shirt when he was at home, while his sister wore dresses and pant suits all the time. It had always confused him when he saw her walking around the villa looking like a bureaucrat while he looked like a sewer rat.  _ Ass-kisser, _ he thought before dialing the number and falling into his desk chair as he listened to the familiar ringing sound.

“Hello?” she said as she picked up, music playing softly in the background. It was definitely American, and, based on his fuzzy knowledge of music genres, it seemed to be alternative rock.

Santino put his feet on his desk as he reached in his bag to pull out his textbook. “It’s me.”

“Which me?” Zed asked teasingly. Her voice was playful and gentle. “I met so many guys today, I can’t remember which ones I gave my number to.”

The Italian rolled his eyes and propped his feet up on the desk in front of him. “It’s the handsome one,” he said snarkily.

Zed chuckled softly when she heard this and walked over to her old speaker, turning the music off so that she could focus on the call. She had to be honest, she didn’t expect him to call so early in the day. “So not Santino,” she joked, smirking to herself as she walked over to her couch.

Santino rolled his eyes again for what he knew wouldn’t be the last time that evening. If he picked up anything from Zed, it was that annoying him was probably going to be her favorite pastime. “Have you done the Physics homework yet?” he asked, checking the time. It was only 6 pm? The day didn’t fly like he thought it did, and he felt almost embarrassed to be calling her so much sooner than she probably expected.

“Not yet. This is the first time I’ve sat down since I got home,” Zed admitted, rolling up the sleeves of her hoodie and leaning back in the comfortable cushions. She had changed as soon as she got home into a plain, gray hoodie and some shorts so that she could get to unpacking. It wasn’t like she had a lot, but making sure her guns were in place and hidden so that if her house did get raided they wouldn’t be found was a hassle. Despite what she previously thought were good hiding places, there was absolutely no room for her illegal machine guns. Anyway, she was working her ass off to get everything unpacked so that when she started her apprenticeship she wouldn’t have to worry about it. “Have  _ you _ given it a whirl?”

“I slept through the lecture, remember?” he smirked, putting her on speaker phone before grabbing his headphones. The last thing he needed was a nosy guard eavesdropping and telling his sister. Usually, the younger D'Antonio didn't give a damn what Gianna thought of him, but this wasn't any of her business.

She chuckled softly and shook her head. “So you want me to do the homework for you, huh?” she asked, pulling her own homework out of her bag as her cat jumped on the bed. “Hey there, Oliver,” she hummed softly, reaching out and running her fingers through his soft orange fur. The little animal purred softly, arching his back into the hand.

“Cheating on me already?” Santino teased.

“Oliver’s my cat,” the woman chuckled, shaking her head fondly at Santino’s ridiculous accusations. It was nice, though; knowing he was comfortable enough around her to make jokes like that. She felt even more at home than she did when they were in the cafe. “Dude, the homework is mostly reading with a few response questions. Just  _ read. _ ”

“Won’t you read it to me, love?” he purred.

Zed made a face, too used to being surrounded by pervy old men for the name ‘love’ to have any effect on her. “Gross, that made something deep within me curl up and die, Santino,” she said, getting a laugh from the other side of the phone. “Well, if we’re going to have a Morgan and Garcia relationship, I should be able to call you 'my little ravioli' or something like that.”

There was silence for a minute before Santino burst out laughing, the joke taking a minute to set in. It really wasn’t that funny, but for some reason he couldn’t keep himself from losing composure around her. It just seemed natural. Besides, the mental image of a lover calling him 'her little ravioli' in bed was enough to bring him to tears. 

Zed smiled to herself, shaking her head fondly as she waited for her friend to get it together. He was much more interesting than most people she had met in the Underground, that’s for sure. “You good over there, little pastaling, or do I need to call Chef Boyardee to come revive you-”

“ _ Stop making Italian puns! _ ” Santino laughed, not thinking to say it in English for the poor American.

This time, she was the one laughing her ass off on the other side of the phone. “I will never stop!" She grinned.

She was used to being surrounded by men with fragile masculinities who felt like they needed to prove their dominance over her. It was pathetic to watch and irritating to deal with, but she had learned to just keep her mouth shut and deal with if. However, Santino never did that; he was almost  _ normal _ around her. The Italian would never know how relieving it was to her for him to joke around with her like an equal _.  _ It was like a breath of fresh air. "Alright, alright, we need to get started. I planned to clean my guns tonight and I'm not letting you ruin that because the thought of me calling you 'my little ravioli' has you rolling on the ground."

Santino snickered as he wiped the tears of laughter from his eyes. “That should not have been as funny as it was, Zed,” he admitted, shaking his head slightly. “But don’t you ever call me your 'little ravioli' ever again. I think I might have nightmares.”

“Oh, haha! So funny, Santino! Oh my God I can’t breathe!” she cried sarcastically before chuckling when Oliver jumped up on the couch cushion and rested his head on her shoulder, purring as he rubbed his furry ears against her cheek. “I’m gonna start reading. Shut the hell up.”

The Italian gasped playfully. “You wound me, Zed,” he snarked before opening the book and starting to read as well. Physics was definitely starting to get more interesting with her in it. The material was difficult, yes, but Santino had always liked a challenge. At least, he did when he applied himself.

As he read, he could hear Zed muttering to herself, saying things like, "okay, thanks, but what the  _ fuck  _ does that mean?" and "ah yes, my favorite pastime: dropping a rock off the Empire State Building." He had to admit, it was funny just to listen to her almost insane rambling. She didn't seem to notice that she was even doing it.

"Do you always talk to yourself when you read?" He asked curiously, adjusting his phone so that he could lean back in his chair without his wired earbuds getting tangled.

Zed chuckled. "Yeah. It helps me understand things," she replied, rubbing her neck slightly before picking Oliver up and putting him on her shoulder, the kitten barely fighting against her. "You done reading? The response questions were pretty easy as long as you read."

"Maybe," the Italian replied suspiciously, getting a snicker from the other end of the line

For the next hour and a half they stayed in the call, each doing homework for separate classes. Santino ended up finishing before her and just walked around his room, adjusting paintings and trying to solve a Rubix cube while she explained to him why she would willingly take a math class. For a moment, Santino didn't feel like the prince of the Camorra. He felt like he was just another college kid.

It was a feeling he could get used to.


	3. Chapter 3

"I'm fucked, Santino."

The Italian couldn't help but snort as his friend banged her head on the expensive table, wallowing in her own anxiety. "You'll be  _ fine _ , Zed. Jesus."

The two had decided to meet at one of Santino's practically forgotten family properties the day before Zed was scheduled to start her apprenticeship under John Wick. They both had textbooks out along with an energy drink each, but those were forgotten as the young assassin pressed her forehead into the surface of the little table that was in the garden. "I didn't know all the shit he'd done until yesterday. He's gonna  _ kill me,  _ Santi!" She complained, picking her head up and pushing her hands through her dark hair.

The prince laughed, placing his hand on his chest at her exaggerated tone. "You're being ridiculous! He's not gonna kill you! He's gonna work you until you wish you were dead."

"You're not helping," she muttered, taking a sip of her energy drink before glancing at her open history textbook. "Do I really care about Machiavelli?" She asked, pulling her hair back into a braid after getting annoyed with it.

Santino glanced at his own textbook in spite. "No. He's dead. But I have to care because I need to know it," he said, obviously not happy that it made sense for him to learn something so boring. She grinned slightly and tied her hair off. "How do you stay on top of all of this!?" He asked. He had 3 classes and he thought he was swamped with work and business, but Zed had 5 classes, a part time job, and now an apprenticeship that was going to take up quite a bit of time. 

She picked up her energy drink. "A quarter of my paycheck goes to these," she said. "I survive off them." The girl took another sip before pulling her textbook back in front of her and starting to read through it. "Plus I strive when under pressure."

He rolled his eyes when he heard this before grabbing his own textbook and scanning through it. He didn't care enough to read like Zed did, especially when she started taking notes. "Come on. Let's go get a late lunch," he said, already bored with his homework.

"Santino, we have homework," Zed chuckled, looking up and twirling her pen. If he gave her a knife, he had no doubts that she could twirl it with the same mastery. "We can't just  _ go get lunch _ ."

"Who's stopping us?" He asked, glancing over at his bodyguard, who was standing by the door. Ares was really the only person he trusted.

The assassin sighed, clicking her pen closed and dropping it on the table. "Be glad I'm hungry and want Mediterranean food," she said, narrowing her eyes playfully as she stood up and stretched. "A street pita sounds so good right now."

"Mm, you're right about that," Santino agreed, standing up and smirking in victory. He knew it didn't take much to convince Zed to go get food. The girl could eat more than 3 men combined and still be hungry, but he was sure she barely weighed 135 pounds. Most of it was probably muscle, anyway. "I'm driving."

She grinned and walked out to his car, grabbing her wallet on the way out even though she knew her friend wouldn't let her pay. He never did, but this would be the one time he told her to pay because she didn't bring her wallet. "Don't kill us, please. I have plans," she said.

Santino smirked again, opening his door. "Ye of such little faith."

* * *

"Lord, forgive us of our sins before Santino fucking  _ drives us off a cliff _ ," Zed said as they sat in the parking lot of the Mediterranean restaurant. She even went as far as crossing herself when they both knew damn well that she was raised Methodist. On the other hand, Santino was laughing in the driver's seat, still unable to stop from when he took a turn going about 60 miles per hour and they almost swerved off a cliff.

"The noise you made!" He laughed, wincing when she punched his arm. "Hey! Don't hit me because you screech like a bird!"

Zed glared at him before getting out, ignoring his laughter as she walked towards the restaurant. Santino got out as well. "Zed!" He called, not getting a response. With a scoff, the Italian grabbed his jacket and followed her in. She was standing alone as she waited for the couple in front of them to order. "You're so childish," he muttered. She acted like she didn't hear him. " _ Mio dio,  _ Zed. You are really going to  _ ignore  _ me?"

She stepped forward a couple steps and smiled at the cashier, ordering a street pita in Italian and not even recognizing that Santino was there. He reached up and pulled her away from the desk by the back of her hoodie so that he could order before she could pay.

"Rude," Zed muttered under her breath, getting a grin from the young mafia boss. He paid for their food and they moved to a nearby table, both sitting down and just enjoying the sunlight for a moment. It was a beautiful day out; one of the reasons why they had decided to do their homework in the garden. "How's  _ your  _ mafia training coming along?" She asked after a moment of silence.

Santino turned his attention back to her from where he had been people-watching. "First,  _ no one  _ calls it that. Second, it's coming along well. I work my ass off to gain us some high ground with a clan and my father gives the credit to my sister. Nothing's changed," he explained, bitterness lacing every word.

"Welcome to the least favorite child club. We have cookies and energy drinks," Zed replied, smiling slightly at him as a form of comfort. The Camorra prince found himself smiling back. Once again, he found himself wondering how someone like Zed could become a bloodthirsty assassin like John Wick. Then, she continued, "besides, who needs dads anyway? Fuck it. I'll be your daddy if you'll be mine."

He laughed, mostly out of surprise. "Sure, but call me 'daddy' in front of my family and I promise to put in a bad word with Mr. Wick. He does work for us, after all," he warned playfully, not expecting her eyes to light up.

"I'm gonna do the Romeo and Juliet scene where Romeo goes to her balcony and shit! I don't know, it's been  _ forever  _ since I read the book, but since I'm already going to be in your house, I might as well make the best of it. If you don't have a balcony, expect me to throw rocks at your windows," she grinned cheekily, hearing their names when the food was ready. Santino didn't get to respond before she had gone to get their food, leaving him to ponder the idea. At first, he just blew it off, thinking she wouldn't dare do something so stupid. After all, the action could easily get her killed if someone thought she was an intruder or she simply interrupted someone's sleep and the first thing they found in their hand was a gun. Then he thought about it for a second, and realized that she would definitely put herself in that danger just because she was Zed and didn't care what anyone thought about her. It was interesting to think about, and, the more he considered it, the more he found it hilarious.

He was pulled from his thoughts when she returned, setting the food down in front of him before sitting down on her side of the table. "Are you aware of your position under Mr. Wick just yet?" Santino asked, trying to make some conversation.

Zed shrugged slightly, starting to eat the gyro that she got. “Not yet. My connection in the States didn’t tell me much about him, only that I was going to be his apprentice. What does he usually do other than destroy souls?” she questioned in return. After a moment, she added, “and kill men in bars with pencils.”

Santino chuckled softly before sipping his drink and pondering the question for a moment. “There is no way to explain John Wick,” he said, setting his drink down and looking at the woman across from him. “He is… what do the Russians say? Oh right: a man of focus, commitment, and sheer fucking will. I have only met him a couple times.”

“Well he sounds like a bundle of joy,” Zed scoffed, pushing her hands through her hair to get it out of her face. Some of it had fallen loose from the braid she put it in earlier that day, and Santino had a faint suspicion that it could have been from his NASCAR-level driving skills. “At least I’ll be around you most of the time. It'll give me  _ someone _ to talk to, and cheat off of."

The Italian smirked lightly. "You really want to cheat off me: the boy who sleeps in class?" He asked snarkily.

She shrugged, taking another bite out of her food. "You're right. Just stick to being pretty, Santino, it's what you do best-"

"Okay, okay,  _ that _ was a backhanded compliment-"

"At least it was a compliment, little ravioli," Zed grinned, causing Santino to choke on his food with a laugh. Her watch beeped and she sighed. "I gotta head to the gym if I'm gonna make my evening shift. Thanks for the lunch and the PTSD from your horrific driving."

He gave her a nod as he grabbed his drink to sip from. "The gym is a bit far, Zed," he reminded, leaning back in his chair casually while he smoothed out his shirt to make sure there were no crumbs on it.

"Eh, it'll help my food settle," she replied, standing up. "Mind if I leave my school shit at your place? I'll swing by and grab it after work." Santino shrugged, nodding to her, and she continued before he got the chance to speak up. "Awesome. Thanks. I'll see you around," she smiled, grabbing the remnants of her meal and tossing it in the trash as she walked out of the restaurant. Santino watched her leave, a slight smirk creeping on his face as she walked away. The jeggings she had on perfectly hugged her legs and ass, giving him a lovely view of what he thought was his while she walked away.

As he finished his meal in silence, his mind wandered to what things would be like when Zed started to apprentice for John. The Boogeyman often stayed at their business residence in Naples, especially when both Gianna and Santino were there. He was essentially their head of security; it only made sense for him to stick around when all the D'Antonios were together. Would that mean Zed is going to be staying with them? Zed was independent and a bit too alpha to be spending a lot of time with someone like his father and John Wick, especially when it came to gender roles. Santino could admit that John respected women. The assassin knew what they were capable of, despite their smaller physical nature, but his father was a different story. Even though his daughter was his favorite child, he had Santino for a reason. His father wanted a male heir to the Camorra seat, and that infuriated his sister. Hell, now that he thought about it, that could be why she resented him so much.

_ I may hate my sister for all she has taken from me, but she deserves respect from men. Perhaps Zed will help prove in my father's eyes that women are stronger than he believes,  _ Santino thought. It wouldn't surprise the Camorra prince in the slightest if Zed was the first one to slap his father across the face because he made one too many comments on where a woman should be instead of out in the field. If anyone had the balls to put his father in his place, it was that little American girl from the South.

Despite the short time they had known each other, Santino felt like he could write a book on Zed's personality. Nothing could hold her back or change her mind once she was set on something, and pressure only seemed to make her work more efficiently. It was one of the reasons why the Italian wasn't at all worried for her under John Wick's care. She was strong enough to handle anything that he threw at her with grace and ease, and still turn around and dish out some sarcastic reply or maybe even a move just as brutal towards the older assassin. If he was going to try and break her so that he could build her up again, he was going to be way more in over his head than he planned. In all honesty, Santino was more worried about Wick than he was about his friend, because if there was one thing about her that he knew for a fact, it was that she was stubborn.

And two stubborn bulls always butt horns.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! I'm really sorry for the super late update. It's not my best work, but it needed to get out there. I hope my 5 readers aren't too mad at me hahah. Anyway, if it's past 1 am where you're at, GO TO BED PLEASE
> 
> And for that one person who could be reading this:
> 
> Jaseppi out


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